The first year under the new Kalen DeBoer era didn’t conclude with the championship hopes that the Alabama Crimson Tide were expecting.
The Tide finished the season with a 9-4 record and a tough loss to the Michigan Wolverines in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Among the biggest faults for the Tide last season was the inconsistency of the offense.
DeBoer expects the offense to click under new offensive coordinator and longtime Fresno State and Washington assistant Ryan Grubb.
On July 31, Grubb discussed the offense that the Tide will be using this upcoming season. Grubb said in the Tide’s second fall practice that Alabama will be running a pro-style offense with a dynamic passing attack.
This type of offense would be great for past experienced quarterbacks like Bryce Young or Tua Tagovailoa. There are, however, some concerns with this offensive style, especially Grubb’s lackluster performance last season in the same role with the Seattle Seahawks.
Last season, the Seahawks ranked eighth in passing yards per game (236.5) behind the great play of quarterback Geno Smith and wide receivers Jaxon Smith-Njigba and DK Metcalf. They were also 18th in the league in points per game (22.1) as they were often inefficient in the red zone and third-down conversions.
One of the reasons was the offense’s lack of usage of the run game. Seattle had 383 running plays, which was the fifth fewest in the league. As a result, the Seahawks ranked 28th in rushing yards per game (95.7) and 29th in first downs by runs (88). While a bad offensive line was competent, Grubb relied on the passing offense, which made them predictable.
One of the reasons the Tide’s offense struggled late in the season despite a Heisman-like performance from quarterback Jalen Milroe was that they were too predictable in the passing game. While Grubb will look to make the Tide more dynamic in the passing game, they’ve already shown they won’t rely on a run game early and often.
The Tide will have a new starting quarterback this fall, likely redshirt junior Ty Simpson. While Simpson has shown progress this offseason, there is going to be a lot of pressure on him to carry the offense if they choose to run a pass-heavy pro-style offense.
This form of offense under a second-year head coach, with DeBoer still trying to prove himself, could be a recipe for disaster and make the offense stagnant and underachieving.
Time will tell if Milroe’s last season collapse was due to the offense being a product of the laziness in play-calling. This could be a similar situation that might have DeBoer and Grubb in trouble, this time in their stint together at Alabama.
